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The US Air Force is expanding and accelerating its research and development of laser weapons for jet fighters, which it hopes to have operational by the early 2020s.

In addition, the service is also upgrading its combat strategy, tactics, and operational concepts in order to accommodate the rapidly emerging technology, Warrior Mavenreported.

Lasers offer new capabilities that will change the nature of air combat, experts note.

As for the Air Force, officials believe that jet-fired lasers can become a reality within a few years as mobile power systems become stronger and smaller, as other technologies such as tracking targets rapidly evolve.